Stone Cold Father?
by wishiwasalice
Summary: Was Bart always the cold-heart father he was during Chuck's childhood? Or was he once happy? One-Shot


Moonlight crept slowly into the Bass master bedroom as Bart Bass softly closed the door. Lying slumbering on the huge bed was his beautiful pregnant wife Evelyn. Bart drew comfort from her peaceful breathing as he quietly undressed and slid under the covers next to her. Evelyn twitched at the change in weight and turned blinking sleepily at her husband.

'Do you feel alright?' Bart asked delicately reaching over to stroke his wife's back.

'Yes, I'm fine,' Evelyn grumbled wearily turning away from him.

Bart paused staring intently at the woman beside him on the king-size bed. Evelyn had turned away from his blabbering questions so instead of a beautiful face Bart was facing a pale purple nightgown. He sighed.

'Sorry, I'm just worried about the baby; our daughter,' Bart muttered as he snaked his hand around her delicate waist so his palm was resting on the beach ball lump that stuck out from her body.

'I know, but please calm down. I'm going to be fine,' Evelyn smiled as she looked at him with her gorgeous hazel eyes, 'in two weeks our girl is going to be out of me and for the first time in nine months you would have stopped stressing out,' her musical laughed resounded though the large bedroom.

'Is it not right for a husband to be worried about his pregnant wife and his baby girl?' Bart asked playfully but only Evelyn could see the faint hint of panic in his bright blue eyes.

'Don't worry; everything's going to be ok. In a few weeks time we'll be laughing about this, I promise,' she whispered as her lips touched his gently.

~*~*~*~*~*~

'Ok, which one? This one or this one?' Evelyn held up to seemingly same shades of deep purple painted sloppily on paper to Bart. Frowning Bart blindly picked the one on the right hoping it was the right one.

'Hmm…. I think that's too red,' Evelyn remarked while Bart wondered how on earth he could see the red in purple, 'I think I'll have this one,' she threw Bart's choice on the floor and skipped to the tub of purple paint. The couple were painting the nursery for their unborn child but Evelyn still had only just decided what colour to paint it after several hours.

'Do you think the baby will love purple?' Evelyn asked nervously, staring intently at the small bit of purple.

'Evelyn Charlotte Bass I don't think that a tiny baby will notice the colour of the walls. Anyway babies see in black and white,' Bart said humorously, 'but if she's anything like you I bet she'll love purple,'

'You know we'll have some explaining to do if it is a boy,' Evelyn laughed, picking up a paint brush again.

'I think we'll be damaging it for ever if it is a boy,' Bart laughed heartily.

~*~*~*~*~*~

'Hey, feel this,' Evelyn gushed breaking Bart from his paperwork.

Stretching Bart brought a hand gently to Evelyn's rapidly increasing bump. For a few seconds nothing happened then an unmistakeable thud hit Bat's open hand.

'She's kicking!' Evelyn squealed excitedly.

'She has been doing that for months now,' Bart said.

'I know but isn't it electrifying. I mean, our baby is moving!' Evelyn was practically jumping up and down in Bart's office.

'You'll going to be a nightmare when the baby's born,' Bart laughed, 'if you're this excited about a kick what about her first tooth or first steps? How will I contain you?'

'Well, I made something for that. Let me go get it,' Evelyn waddled out of the office.

A couple of minutes later she was back, gasping slightly. In her slender arms was a sketch book. Bart gazed in confusion at her.

'This is for all our baby's first's and special things. I'm going to record everything so in ten years time we can show her exactly what she was like as a baby. Isn't it wonderful?' she gushed.

Bart was speechless. 'It's perfect. This baby is going to be the most loved baby in the whole world,' he whispered embracing her.

'I know, she whispered back, 'I can't wait to be a mother,'

~*~*~*~*~*~

'Arghh…' moans woke Bart from his sleep.

Terrified he glanced around the room instantly awake. Groaning and slashing next to him was his gorgeous wife, her face screwed up in agony. Even as Bart watched helplessly she screamed softly clutching her stomach tightly.

'What's wrong? Is it the baby?' Bart babbled breathlessly.

'The pain…. Oh God… Arghh…' Again Evelyn doubled over gasping for breath.

'I'll call 991. Just hold on,' Bart gushed frantically stumbling out of the tangled sheets to find his cell phone.

It took several tries for him to press he right buttons; every time Evelyn screamed or cried his fingers slipped fitfully. Ten minutes later sirens were blazing up Fifth Avenue as the sun mocked Bart as it rose gloriously over Central Park. Evelyn could barely walk and was being supported by the drivers. Bart panicky tried to assist her but she just cried when he touched her. The staff bundled her speedily in to the back then the sirens were blazing again to the hospital. Bart sat uselessly in the back just inches from his wife as she trashed and kicked out in pain; never had Bart fell so helpless and unworthy in all his life. Usually he was commanding the board in Bass industries and being in complete control now the stark contrast was laughable. Again and again Evelyn screamed and shrieked until the sound was permanently ringing in Bart's head.

_Just make it stop. Just make it stop. Just make it stop. _

The ambulance skidded into the hospital and immediately Evelyn was pulled out of the vehicle. Bart stumbled out after her, his head pounding. The hospital staff ran with her up endless corridors leaving Bart to try to keep up. The staff banged her into an empty operation room. Bart staggered outside trying to peek in but the glass was cover up. Unable to relax he began pacing the corridor wincing every time Evelyn cried out.

Why won't she stop?

What was wrong with her?

Countless faceless people rushed in the room, holding clipboards, clutching medical equipment, all deadly serious. No-one glanced at Bart as they dashed into the room. Having enough Bart grabbed a haggard man exiting.

'What is wrong with my wife?' Bart yelled, his eyes bugling.

The man looked guilty around, never glancing in Bart's eyes. He licked his lips and took a deep breath. 'There's been a complication in the pregnancy.'

Bart stepped back in shock. He knew in the back of his mind that it had something to do with this but it was horrible having his fears confirmed.

'What… Why…. What will happen to the baby?'

Again the man shifted nervously. 'We're trying our best at the moment; trying to address the situation, where the baby is, how its hurting Evelyn, the damaged caused. We're trying to do all those things. It's complicated.'

'But…' Bart was interrupted by a woman asking for the man.

'I have to go,' he said not looking Bart in the eyes slamming the door in Bart's face.

_Just stop her screaming. Just stop her pain. _

But her screams were soon joined by another person crying and finally only one cry was heard...

~*~*~*~*~*~

The hospital walls swam around Bart's head sickly.

'Mr Bass, Mr Bass,' the voices seemed miles away from him as he gasped fitfully for air.

_It couldn't be true, it couldn't be…_

'Grab a chair, I think he's going to faint,' the voices grew dimmer as the blackness grew larger. Before the chair could be brought Bart had fall on to the white slab floor hoping for the same predicament as his wife.

~*~*~*~*~*~

'Mr Bass, if you just see the baby then I'm sure you'll feel different about…'

'I don't want to see it,'

'Sir, maybe if you named the boy then you might feel something for him,'

'I don't want it,' Bart spat.

The nurse dithered by the doorway of the private room. After Bart's fainting episode he had been sentenced into a room for monitoring for his condition.

'Sir…'

'Get out of my sight!' Bart yelled throwing the flower vase on the bedside table at the nurse.

Hurriedly the nurse jumped out of the private room no doubt running to his superiors but for the first time in his life Bart didn't care what people thought of him.

His beloved wife was dead and his son had killed her.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Slowly Bart trod up to the glass window where his son was being kept. The small sleeping shape was instantly recognisable as Evelyn's boy, the dark mop of hair was the exact same shade and so was his skin tone. Bart felt his heart tugged. If the boy looked like him then maybe he could cope but to have a baby that was the image of Evelyn then there was no way Bart was going to be the parent the baby needed. At least it wasn't a girl; that would have definitely killed him.

Unconsciously Bart had entered the room and his presence woke the bundle in the plastic cot. Opening his eyes the small baby glanced blinkingly at his father making Bart heart tugged but not for love of his son. Though his eyes should have been dark blue, dark hazel brown globes blinked up at Bart curiously. Was this child purposely the image of Evelyn? Had it planned all of this all along while he was tucked inside her? Hatred rose violently in Bart and threatened to over throw him. Only in the final few seconds did he refrain himself from murdering the defenceless infant in front of him.

But the question now remain what was he going to call this small burden. Evelyn and he were so sure it was going to be a girl that considering boy names had never been discussed. Bart had no idea what she would have called a boy. Countless boy names ran threw Bart's head but nothing fit the tiny infant. Maybe naming him after his mother was fitting. A constant reminder to him of the suffering he had caused. As far as Bart knew there weren't any male forms of Evelyn so he moved onto her middle name of Charlotte; Charles would do nicely for the boy. Most people would think he had chosen it because he liked it; a few would know it was because of Evelyn's second name but only he knew that the baby was named in spite and hatred and in reminder of what he had done to Bart.

Bart glanced slyly at the bundle in disgust. The baby had fallen asleep and was peacefully snoozing. Bart knew he would never have this peace again.

'I will always hate you for destroying my life,' Bart whispered angrily stomping out of the room.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Bart barricaded himself in his office. Down the hall he could here the nanny talking to Chuck in baby talk and it made him cringe. Chuck's cries echoed around the apartment making Bart seethe. How could that ungrateful baby cry when he had taken his mother's life? He should be internally happy as he had cost so much to be here. Bart banged his fist in frustration at the wall.

That's when he saw it. Lying on his desk was Evelyn's scrapbook. Time stood still as Bart slowly walked over to it carefully. Her bold handwriting proudly said '_Baby Bass's Special Moments_'. Choking Bart flipped over the cover to be greeted by a picture of Evelyn just days before she died. A huge smile was fixed on her face and her bump stuck out proudly. Tears threatened to overcome Bart but he held it together as he fought to stay upright. The rest of the pagers were blank waiting for Evelyn to fill them but she never would. No-one would fill this book; this stupid, dreadful book. Rage boiled Bart and tearing up the pages tears streaked down his face angrily.

Damn him for getting Evelyn pregnant

Damn Evelyn for dying and leaving him alone

Damn that whining snot-nose baby for taking away the most precious thing in his life away from him;

the only thing that really mattered;

the only thing that would ever matter.

**Review? :)**


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